Rubber-dam clamp



S. E. KNOWLES.

RUBBER DAM CLAMP.

(No Model.)

Patented July 27, 1897.

Inventor;

Wiinesses:

01,11) .1 A we:

PATENT Erica SAMUEL E. KNOXVLES, OF ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA.

RU BBER-DAM CLAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 587,058, dated July2'7, 1897.

- Application filed February 1, 1897. Serial No. 621,464. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL E. KNOWLES, a citizen of the United States,residing in Alameda, in the county of Alameda and State of California,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rubber-Dam Holders,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements made in devices for holding therubber-dam in position on the patient in dental operations.

It has for its object to produce 'a device that will stretch the sheetof rubber smoothly over the patients mouth and hold it with any requireddegree of traction, both longitudinally and transversely, withreferenceto the fissure of the month, without the use of weights andwithout danger of puncturing or tearing the rubber, and generally tosecure conditions of greatercomfort to the patient and greaterconvenience to the operatorthan accompany the use of the ordinary holderand weights.

To such ends and objects my said invention Figs. 2 and 3 are side viewsoft-he two parts of the holder Without the connecting-strap, and Figs. 2and 3 front views of the same parts.

The parts A A are made of wire chiefly for w the sake of lightness andcleanliness. In its general outline each one has approximately the shapeof an irregular triangle, the base or longer side of which is presentedto the front, and the apeX is turned to the rear when the part is inposition on the check of the patient. The longer side a is made ofsuitable length to bring one end or tip ct somewhat above theline of theupper lip and the opposite end or tip a a greater distance below theline of the lower lip when the holder is in position. These ends a a arecovered with a padding of some substance or material of soft quality ortexture, such as rubber or leather,

for the purpose of securing suitable adhesion tearing it.

or holding power on the sheet-rubber forming the dam and of preventingthe end of the holder from cutting through the rubber. The wire is bentat these points in a short but smooth curve back upon itself, to form a.

rounded end or tip over which the dam can be stretched without danger ofpuncturing or Soft-rubber tubing will be found a good material forcovering the end of the holder to form the tip, a short piece of thesame being slipped on the wire before the loop is closed.

The upper side or member 0. is considerably shorter than the lowermember or, and at the junction of the two, which corresponds to the apexof the triangle, is placed a buckle or means for attaching the strap Bthat connects the frame or part A on one side with that on the otherside of the patients face.

The strap B is made of elastic braid, and by means of the fasteningsbefore mentioned the band is attached tothe two holders in such mannerthat the tractive force exerted by the holders is regulated at pleasurefrom the side on which the operator is working by slackening or bydrawing up that end of the strap.

A simple and reliable grip or buckle for this purpose is formed bybending the wire into a rectangular loop D and attaching to the top andbottom members of the loop a cross-bar d in front of and parallel withthe perpendicular member of the loop. The bar d is made of wire and isattached by bending its ends around the Wire of the frame at the pointsbefore mentioned.

In producing the frame from a single piece of wire the ends are broughttogether at this loop portion and are united by a short piece of metaltubing, in which the ends of the wire are fixedby forcing'them' into thetube. This construction leaves all the parts of the frame without anexposed joint on any of the members and avoids the use of solderedjoints.

It also presents a smooth bearing-surface for the elastic strap to slipover.

In attaching the strap to the holder its end is passed from behind overthe cross-bar. and is thence turned from the front to the rear again andpassed under the loop D or through the space between the cross-bar andthe loop, in which position the cross-bar lies in the bight or fold ofthe strap, while both portions of the folded strap behind the bight lieunder the loop D and in contact with each other. By this means thestrain or traction operates to maintain a secure hold of the buckle onthe strap, and at the same time allows the strap to be shortened ortaken up at any time simply by pulling on the loose end that ispresented outward.

The frames A are curved or bowed slightly in a lateral direction or toone side out of the perpendicular, as represented in Figs. 4 and 5, theone to the right and the other in the contrary direction, to make themconform somewhat to the curvature of the checks, that they may lieclosely on the face without bearing with more pressure at one part thanatanother.

As thus constructed, the holder is used by placing the parts A A uponopposite sides of the patients face from behind, with the strapextending around the back of the neck and with the shorter limb (t ofeach frame somewhat above the line of the upper lip, care being taken toplace the two frames in their proper position, according to thecurvature of the long member of each frame. Then the sheet of rubber R,properly cut and placed over the tooth to be operated upon, is stretchedover the tips of each holder longitudinally or in the general directionof the long member, so that by its own contraction the rubber is heldover the covered tips with sufficient force to keep the dam distendedsmoothly and both longitudinally and transversely and-under any requireddegree of tension. The amount or degree of tractive force necessary todraw the rubber sheet not only across the line of the mouth, but also inother directions to hold the dam in the most effective position for allpossible conditions of work, is readily regulated and applied on therequired lines by drawing up the strap and stretching the marginalportions of the rubber sheet in the required direction over one tip orthe other of the frame on one or both sides of the mouth. \Vhen properlyadj usted,the dam will be retained in position with comfort to thepatient and with the parts of the holder and the loose flaps of the damout of the way of the operator.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new therein,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a rubber-dam holder, a skeleton frame having one longer arm ormember and two shorter arms or members converging toward each other insubstantially the same plane, with the bend at each end of the longermember covered with elastic material, and a buckle or fastening meansfor a neck-strap at the junction of the shorter members.

2. In a rubber-dam holder, the combination of a skeleton frame oftriangular shape composed of a longer arm or member and two shorter armsor members, rounded dam-holding ends at the ends of the longer members,a loop formed by the junction of the shorter members and a sleevecovering the same, and a cross-bar in front of the loop, constructed foroperation as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand andseal.

SAMUEL E. KNOWLES. [n s] \Vitnesses:

O. XV. M SMITH,

CHAS. E. KELLY.

